This year's Funchal Jazz Festival brings 6 concerts on the Main Stage at Santa Catarina Park
Vocal jazz will be in force at this year's edition of the Funchal Jazz festival. This is the promise of the artistic director, Paulo Barbosa, who talks about "access to several of the most outstanding and virtuoso performers of this musical genre today". The lights switch on on the main stage, in Santa Catarina Park, on Thursday, July 6th, for the first of three days of shows, which always start at 9:30pm.
Within the diversity of styles, Paulo Barbosa leads Essential through the programme. "Emmet Cohen is a pianist strongly rooted in the piano trio tradition, with an incredible mastery of the early 20th century 'stride piano' technique, but his music is more a renewal than a repetition or a reheating of history." It will be the first to take the stage, on the same day as "Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter's SuperBlue project", which is "bathed in funk and groove".
Altogether different is the record of the singer Samara Joy, who shares the stage on the second night with bassist Bernardo Moreira's tribute to Carlos Paredes.
Saturday features voice again, "with the singing of Michael Mayo, who will perform with the drummer Terri Lyne Carrington", on the same night that the public can enjoy the Funchal Jazz Orchestra with the saxophonist Perico Sambeat, "who will present a jazz with some flamenco doodles".
There is no lack of awards among the four North Americans present. Paulo Barbosa highlights the "Grammy for best instrumental record won by Terri Lyne Carrington", or the prizes for "Best New Artist" and best vocal jazz record that went to Samara Joy. Furthermore, Kurt Elling was voted male singer of the year for the fourteenth time and "Emmet Cohen as pianist of the year.
The programme does not only take place on the main stage. Between the 1st and the 5th of July a series of performances will take place in the Municipal Garden of Funchal, involving mainly artists from Madeira, but also some from other origins, with varied styles. The concerts are always at 7 p.m. and admission is free.
Paulo Barbosa also highlights the Funchal Jass Rhythm Kings, who "will parade their Dixieland / New Orleans Jazz through the streets of the city, sometimes on foot, sometimes aboard a Yellow Bus".
